Designing a Constitutional Convention

The idea that the UK
needs some form of constitutional convention to consider a range of possible
reform issues rose high up the political agenda following the Scottish
independence referendum in 2014 and has remained there ever since. This
attention is driven by the widely perceived need both to address contentious
constitutional issues such as those relating to Brexit and the future of the
Union should best be resolved, and to engage citizens more deeply in politics
and decision-making.

But what form should a
body designed to deliberate on constitutional options take? Would the
traditional model of a commission of the great and the good be appropriate?
Should a body encompassing representatives of civil society as well as
politicians be considered? Or would a more genuinely inclusive assembly –
including ordinary members of the public – be a better way forward? If the last, what form should this take.

This project, led by Alan
Renwick and Robert Hazell, explores these questions.

Report

Alan Renwick and Robert Hazell, Blueprint for a UK Constitutional Convention
(2017)

Despite frequent calls
for some form of citizen-led constitutional convention, there has been limited detailed
thinking about the form that such a body should take. This report examines the
issues, explores the lessons to be learned from similar exercises elsewhere,
and identifies the pitfalls to be avoided. It sets out a blueprint for a citizens’
constitutional convention in the UK.

The report finds that a
constitutional convention of this kind could make a great and positive
contribution to democratic governance in the UK. But the potential benefits
should not be exaggerated. Furthermore, to succeed, a citizens’ constitutional
convention must be designed well and resourced adequately.

Related Constitution Unit research

This project links with
other Constitution Unit work on deliberative processes of decision-making:

Citizens’ Assembly on Brexit: We are holding a citizens’ assembly that will allow citizens to engage in
detailed, reflective and informed discussions about what the UK’s post-Brexit
relations with the European Union should be.

Democracy Matters: We were part of a team that held two
citizens’ assemblies on local governance and democracy in Sheffield and
Southampton in autumn 2015.

After the Referendum: Options for a
Constitutional Convention: Alan Renwick conducted a detailed analysis in 2014 of the various options
available for the design of a constitutional convention, leading to a report published
by the Constitution Society. The report
is available here; it is summarised in ‘How to Design a Constitutional Convention for the UK’,
OurKingdom blog, 23 September 2014.

Our research in this area
also picks up themes relating to how processes of constitutional reform are
best conducted that have been at the heart of the work of the Constitution Unit
since its very first report in 1996 and that the Unit has continued to address
from time to time ever since. For details of this earlier research, see
the Tracking UK Constitutional Reform page.

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In a new report published today, Alan Renwick and Robert Hazell examine options for the design of a constitutional convention in the UK. The report identifies and examines twelve key design features that need to be decided. These are summarised here. Proposals for a UK constitutional convention are made by several parties in their […]